1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for spacing sheets and more particularly, to increasing the spacing between sides of adjacent glass sections.
2. Discussion of the Technical Problems of the Present Technology
Glass sheets are severed or cut into pieces by scoring the sheets between their leading and trailing edges and opening the scores. Thereafter, the adjacent opened cut edges of the pieces are separated from one another to prevent edge damage resulting from the edges contacting one another. Various techniques e.g. as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,545,667; 3,286,815; 3,301,550 and 3,809,207 are available for spacing of adjacent articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,667, in general, teaches a plurality of springs each having one end connected to a first endless link chain and the other end connected to a second endless link chain. The chains are mounted closer together at one end of a conveyor than at the other end so that the springs stretch as the chains are rotated to space sides of adjacent dough strips. A limitation with the spacing apparatus taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,667 is that changes to alter side spacing of the strips requires repositioning of the link chains.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,815, in general, teaches a spacing apparatus for spacing articles which includes a plurality of rods each mounted to and between a pair of spaced endless chains. A plurality of plaques for supporting the articles are slidably mounted for sideward movement on each of the rods. As the rods advance carrying the plaques, depending pins from each plaque contacts upper guiderails which urge the plaques of each rod away from each other to align the plaques with respective ones of spaced conveyor belts at the end of the movement path. The plaques slide toward one another by the depending pin engaging bottom guiderails as the chains continue to rotate. U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,207, in general, teaches a conveyor for converging or diverging a row of sheets. The conveyor has a plurality of rods each having a coiled spring with the rods mounted at their ends to a pair of spaced endless chains. The ends of the springs are connected to a block slidably mounted on the rod. A pin connected to the block rides in one of a pair of spaced guiderails to control the expansion of the spring which in turn controls the spacing of the sheets.
A limitation of the spacing techniques taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,286,815 and 3,809,207 is the need to adjust the guiderails to control or alter the spacing between articles as they move along the path. This adjustment necessitates discontinuing the use of the conveyor and therefore is not normally used for high volume usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,550, in general, teaches the use of a pair of spaced shafts each having conveyor rollers mounted thereon. A pair of corresponding rolls of each shaft engage a sheet and advance same along a sheet movement path while adjacent corresponding rolls slidably mounted on their respective shaft moves an adjacent sheet in forward and sideward directions to space the adjacent sheets. A limitation of the apparatus in U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,550 is that the sheet is engaged at opposed surfaces. The technique of engaging a sheet between rollers is not normally recommended when the sheet surfaces can be scuffed and sheets of various thickness are to be spaced.
In view of the above, it would be advantageous to provide a technique for altering the spaced distance between sides of adjacent sheets, for example, glass sheets, that does not have the limitations of the presently available spacing techniques.